Credit: Ralph Brennan's Jazz KitchenDowntown Disney is expected to get several new upgrades soon. In fact, Disney recently filed several construction permits to bring a $5 million expansion to the West End of this beloved shopping and dining area. This expansion is set to bring a new 8,300-square-foot retail location with room for five shops. Additionally, the plans include a new bathroom and employee break room, as well as an event space with a 1,250-square-foot stage, shade, and 21 lights.
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Additionally, there are other new dining locations set to come to Downtown Disney soon, including Porto’s Bakery & Cafe and Chinese family-style restaurant Din Tai Fung. However, there is one fan-favorite restaurant at Downtown Disney that will be closing soon for refurbishment- Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, which is well-known for its Cajun-Creole menu.
In a recent Instagram post, @rbjazzkitchen stated that the restaurant will be closed starting Monday, January 9. The caption indicated that Guests could check back on Instagram or on the website for any updates on reopening.
So, if you want to enjoy one last meal before this restaurant closes for refurbishment, stop by this weekend. The hours for today and tomorrow are 11 a.m. to 3:55 p.m. for lunch, and 4 to 10:30 p.m. for dinner.
If you’ve never eaten at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen before, here is an overview of the experience, per Disneyland:
Feast on Creole and Cajun specialties in a swingin’ 2-story jazz palace with a beautiful open-air atrium.
Pass under the striped awning and into a romantic replica of traditional French Quarter architecture for authentic New Orleans cuisine. Inside a sprawling 15,000-square-foot space with a wrought-iron balcony overlooking the revelry of the Downtown Disney District, taste the melting pot of flavors that makes New Orleans cooking so unique.
Some of the delicious themed food you can expect to find and enjoy here include Gumbo Ya-Ya, Fried Chicken BLT Po-Boy, Pasta Jambalaya, NOLA BBQ Shrimp & Grits, Gulf Shrimp A La Creole, and Beignets. Not only does this restaurant have Creole and Cajun meal items, but the food also comes from authentic New Orleans roots, per Disney:
Ralph Brennan’s family entered the hospitality business in 1943 with the purchase of the historic Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter, once the headquarters of the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. During its 200-year-plus history, personalities ranging from Mark Twain to Frank Sinatra have passed through its doors.
To bring an authentic look and feel to the location at the Downtown Disney District, a dozen New Orleans-based artists were commissioned to create original works of art expressly for Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen.
Have you ever eaten at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen? What did you think?